A heart-warming gesture on part of Rahul Gandhi brought a 62-year-old woman to tears as the young Congress leader held her in his hands offering water to drink after noticing that she had tripped in the melee caused during his visit to Pune on Tuesday.
When Rahul's car entered the Congress Bhavan last evening, a lot of jostling took place at the crowded gate as security personnel tried to keep at bay enthusiastic party workers who surged forward raising slogans "Rahul Gandhi Age Badho, Hum Tumhare Saath Hai".
Malti Bhor, an old woman who had set up a stall in the exhibition of products of women's self-help group called 'Mansi', which was to be visited by the Congress general secretary, fell down in the pushing around and almost fainted. Rahul noticed the woman falling to the ground and stopped the car midway.
He rushed to Malti, supported her with his hands and took a water bottle asking her to drink from it.
"Please forgive me Maji", were his words as he made her sit comfortably and left to address Congress workers, a little away in the premises. The woman smiled and kept the water bottle with her as if it was precious memento.
In a five-minute speech Rahul urged party workers to fight the ensuing elections unitedly and re-install a Congress government-led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Earlier, he had a meeting with NCP President Sharad Pawar at Vasantdada Sugar Institute at Manjri, around 25 km from here, where he ostensibly got to know the functioning of Sugar technology and cooperative factories.